LifeStuck
by whostuck123
Summary: Five friends, Dave, John, Jade, Erin and Rose, have just graduated High School. They have their whole lives ahead of them, but will everything turn out the way they expect? Rated T for infrequent course language and some suggestive sexual material. Homestuck does not belong to me, Sis and Erin are my OC's.
1. The Adventure Begins

TurntechGodhead [TG] has begun pestering GreatExpectations [GE]

TG: hey erin

TG: hey

TG: i see your logged on

GE: What is it Dave

GE: Im a little busy

TG: doing what

GE: Im preparing

TG: preparing

TG: for what

GE: College of course

TG: but we just graduated high school

TG: just now

TG: an hour ago

GE: So

GE: I want to be ready

TG: have fun with that

TG: but anyway

TG: were goin to get together before we all go off to college

GE: Ok

TG: i mean ALL of us erin

GE: Ugh fine

TG: we havent all hung out in forever

GE: Exactly three years two weeks and three days

TG: yeah

TG: sure

TG: my point is that were all getting together

TG: in the forest by roses place

TG: you in

GE: Yeah I guess

TG: cool

TG: see ya then

TurntechGodhead [TG] has ceased pestering GreatExpectations [GE]

Erin turned away from her laptop, sighing. She did not go to school with any of her friends, and they hadn't seen each for three years. Now, they were all getting ready to go off to college. Erin worries about Dave sometimes; he just seems unmotivated, unsure of himself. On the contrary, Erin knows exactly what she wants to do. She will apply to the California Institute of Technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of California—Berkeley and Harvard University (But she doesn't know which she will actually attend). She will Major in Biochemistry and Minor in Chemical Engineering. She will go into a career as a Biochemist and live her life from there.

Erin is not very social, but she really likes Dave. There's just something about him that she loves. She wishes that there was a way for them all to hang out more but they don't live anywhere near each other. She doesn't live near any of her friends, in fact.

Erin lives alone with her Sister in a cabin somewhere in the Rocky Mountains. She loves science, math and logic more than all else, except for maybe Dave. She looks around her room and realizes that soon, she won't be living here anymore. She will either be living in a dorm or an apartment, depending on whether or not she can find a tolerable roommate. Erin goes downstairs. She sees her Sister in the living room painting.

"Hey, Sis?" Erin asks

"What's up, Erin?" Sis responds good-naturedly.

"The others and I are going to Roses for a week or so. Is that ok?" Erin questions. Even if Sis said no, Erin would go anyway.

"Sure, I guess. Just be careful." Sis says absentmindedly.

"Thanks" Erin hops back up the stairs nimbly. She looks around her room and begins packing for this new adventure.

**Thanks for reading the first chapter! I know its not much, and I have much more planned, but please keep reading. This is my very first fanfic so r&r is very helpful. See you for chapter 2!**


	2. The Gang Goes Camping

The next four days flew by. Before she knew it, Erin was walking through the airport searching for her friends. She couldn't see them anywhere... the airport was way too crowded. She wished that they had arranged a meeting place. Or maybe they had and forgot to tell her. Maybe they didn't forget to tell her but didn't tell her on purpose. Or worse yet, this was all an elaborate and expensive prank to get her to fly all the way out to New York and nobody else came. Or- her train of thought was cut off when she saw John flailing through the crowd. He had gotten much taller since they had last seen each other in the summer before Sophmore Year. He ran smack into her before he had realized she was even there. They laughed as they fell to the ground, but the other good people of the airport scowled at this tom-foolery.

"Hi, Erin!" John said enthusiastically.

"Hi, John. Long time no see." Erin says brushing off her trench coat.

"No kidding! Have you seen any of the others?" John asked, looking around. \

Erin looked around as well, "I was about to ask you the same-" Erin was cut off when she got knocked to the floor once again. This time, Jade was on top of her.

"Ohai Erin! Its so great to see you! Oh my god, its just been soo long!" Jade bubbled on excitedly as she helped Erin up. Erin turned around to look at her and smiles slightly. Jade hadn't changed a bit. She was a bit taller, but everything about her was the same. Jade sported the same hair, same face, same buckteeth, and same glasses. It was relieving to see Jade look the same as always, even if they didn't usually get along when they were together. This was because Jade had dated Dave since they were in Seventh Grade, even though Jade lived on an uncharted island somewhere in the Pacific Ocean and Dave lived in Texas.

"Hi Jade, what's up?" Erin asked.

"Oh not a lot, the others are over this way! Come on!" Jade scampered off happily, leaving John and Erin nothing to do but follow her.

John and Erin soon saw the others; they weren't exactly hard to spot. Dave was about as tall as John was. His blonde hair perfectly styled, his face the very epitome of cool, his shades revealing nothing of his eyes. He his arms lean but muscled at the same time, he seemed athletic. Erin caught herself staring and quickly looked over to Rose, who was only an inch or two shorter than Dave. She was the precise embodiment of grace and elegance. She was wearing an airy lavender shirt with a darker purple tank top underneath. Rose was also wearing dark blue skinny jeans with fashionable purple shoes. She smiled as John and Erin walked over.

"Goddamn Erin, you still wear that thing?" Dave said, gesturing to her trench coat. "and your glasses?"

"Hey, there is nothing wrong with my trench coat!" Erin protested. "And my glasses are cool!"

"You really could do with a makeover" Rose said thoughtfully.

"Hey, I have an idea, let's move on" Erin said, crossing her arms. Everyone else laughed. This was why Erin really disliked social contact. She did not really know how to respond to some things, and when she did think she knew, people laughed. She usually wasn't sure what was funny, but hoped that they were laughing with her rather than at her. Sometimes, she wasn't so sure which they were doing. This time, she was relatively sure they were laughing with her.

Once they were all done laughing they went out and caught a taxi to Rose's House. From Rose's house they went hiking into the forest. As they were hiking they caught up with each other about what had happened over the three years they didn't see each other. John and Jade pushed each other around and laughed, ahead of the others. Rose walks behind them and smiles slightly. Dave and Erin were walking in the back and talking.

"So, how have you been?" Erin asked awkwardly.

"Cool. What about you?" Dave said while still looking straight forward.

"I'm fine. So... are you and Jade...still..." She broached the subject very tactfully and not at all awkwardly.

"We broke up last year; the long range thing wasn't workin out." Dave said looking at Erin. "Why?"

"Oh uh... no reason." Erin looked over at Dave. _Damn he's hot,_ she thought. _I wonder if he'd be interested. Nah... no way a cool kid like him would like me... _Erin realized she was staring and looked away quickly. "Have you ever gone camping before?"

"No, Bro never wanted to drive me and by the time I could drive myself I didn't really care." Dave said, looking at her half suspiciously by her sudden topic change, but accepted it.

"Oh... that sucks. I keep forgetting you live in the city." Erin said awkwardly. The two of them walked along in an uncomfortable silence. John and Jade fell back, while Rose led the way. After a while they came along to a clearing.

"This seems as good a place as any to set up camp." Rose said, shedding her giant backpack to the ground. The others follow in suit. The boys were sharing a tent and Rose and Jade were sharing a tent. Erin didn't want to sleep near other people so she brought her own. No matter how good of friends she was with Rose and Jade, she was sleeping by herself. Rose, Jade and Erin set up their tents quickly but John and Dave were having more trouble. Dave had never set up a tent before and John was not much help.

"No, this rod goes here." John said threading a metal pole through a small hole in the tent.

"And then the other end goes here like this..." Dave stuck his tongue out slightly as he tried to shove the rod into the ground and make it stay there. The two end up with a dilapidated looking triangle, with dents and sharp points sticking out. Jade and Erin burst out laughing and Rose smirks.

"Its not that bad!" John protested indignantly, looking at his master piece. Just as he did that, a rod snapped and launched the tent into John and Dave. The whole thing fell apart while they were underneath of it. Jade and Erin laugh even harder and Rose smothers a laugh as she helps them up. Rose, Jade and Erin ended up building the tent for them.

_Later_

They all sat around the campfire that Jade had built, she was by far the most useful of the friends.

"So... do we tell stories and shit?" Dave asked unsure.

"Yes! Ghost stories!" John exclaimed excitedly to a chorus of groans from the peanut gallery. "Oh come on, those never get old!"

"No... I don't want to tell scary stories in the middle of a forest at night!" Jade looked around nervously.

"I have to agree with Jade on this point" Rose interjected.

"How about we just make some smores!" Jade has the bag of fluffy, sugary goodness open before anybody can complain. In moments, the whole group had found sticks to impale their delicious morsels of heaven on and thrust into the flames. Erin watched as the flames licked hungrily at her gooey treat until she realized that it was very burnt. John set his aflame, while Dave dropped his in the fire.

"Oh come one guys, we cant even make smores right!" Jade said while Rose looked at the ground disappointedly, as her marshmallow had just fallen off of her stick and plopped onto the ground.

"Lets do something easy, lets just talk. Catch up a little." Dave said brightly. "John, you go first."

"Well... Not much has happened to me in the past year. The usual antics with Dad got less and less usual and then he just left me a note saying that I was "too old for that. I am a man now and I have to act like it" or something like that. Prom was cool, I guess. I applied to Harvard for business like Dad wanted, and I got in sooo... yeah." John looks around smiling. "Rose, you next."

"Well, if you insist. I spent the last several years doing extensive research in the Fine Arts. I have studied many a great literature, plays, poets, philosophers and the like. I have applied to Julliard, and I have high prospects of getting in." Rose said with pride.

"That's cool and all, but don't you do anything fun?" Dave said laughing.

"That is not only fun, but necessary to attain the goals I strive for." Rose said dignifiedly. "You next, Jade."

"Oh! Well, I haven't really done a whole lot since I last saw you guys, but the islands been great! Bec is teaching me all that I need to know, but I think that I'm going to college anyway. Besides, Bec says that I need the social skills. I applied to The University of Phoenix. Soooooooo... Erin! You next!" Jade said all in one breath.

"Wow... uh..." Erin thought. " I don't know." She glanced over at Dave. " Well... uh... Over the last few years I've continued to make and upgrade new technology. I finally finished that reconstruction of that airplane. Uh... I've been doing a lot of chemical research, which is what I am going to major in during college. I've applied to the California Institute of Technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of California—Berkeley and Harvard University..." Erin was cut off mid-sentence.

"You should totally go to Harvard!" John blurted excitedly. "Ohmygawd that would be so cool!" John laughed.

"Yeah, maybe." Erin smiled. This was classic John, she didn't realize how much she missed her friends, or how much she will miss them when they all go off to college. "Dave? Your turn."

Dave kept his cool poker face. "I've just been chill as ever, you know me." Everyone looked at him quizzically.

"but, Dave! Where did you apply to college?" Jade asked, bubbly as ever. Dave said nothing. "You didn't apply anywhere?!"

"What, I've been busy." Dave said almost bashfully.

Rose looked quite stricken. "Too busy to plan your future? Do you want to end up a homeless man on the streets, Dave?"

Dave stands up angrily. "Its my future and my choice, I don't have to go right away!" He walked off into the woods. Jade stood up to go after him.

Erin stood up as well; she put a hand in front of Jade, "I'll take care of it." The blackness of the night forest swallowed her up as she walked off in pursuit of Dave Strider.

**Sorry this ones pretty long, and mostly boring. I promise, chapter three is going to be MUCH more interesting. R&R is very much appreciated! Thanks for reading.**


	3. Talk of The Future

Erin searched desperately through the forest, in search of the elusive Dave Strider. She looked around, bitterly wishing she had night vision. She stumbled upon him leaning against a tree, his sick shades reflecting the stars.

"...Dave?" Erin started.

Dave looked over at her. "What."

"I don't think it matters that you haven't applied to any colleges... It's your decision." Erin tapered off nervously.

"Thanks, it just seems that you all know what you want to do. What you want to do for the rest of your lives, you've all get everything planned out. I've got nothing. Let's face it, I don't have any talents or passions that will carry me anywhere past High School, I'm going to end up spending the rest of my life flipping burgers at McDonalds." Dave looked down at his feet.

Erin just stood there looking at him. She could not believe what she was seeing, "Dave Strider, giving up? I thought I'd never see the day..." Erin shook her head in mock disbelief.

Dave laughed somewhat. "I'm no quitter, I'm just settling for mediocrity." He said simply.

"That's not the Dave I know." Erin said. "The Dave I know wouldn't go down without a fight, he'd do whatever he wanted, and he'd be great at it! That's the Dave I know."

Dave laughs. "Don't try to be upbeat and life coach-y, that's Roses job." Erin laughed along with him.

"Yeah, I guess I overdid it a bit." Erin shrugged. "Oh well, what're you gonna do."

"I dunno, that's the problem." They both laughed awkwardly at this. "Anyway, thanks for making me feel kinda better, kinda." Dave hugged Erin.

Erin couldn't believe it, the coolest guy on the planet just thanked her and hugged her. Erin hugged him back. "No... problem..." Erin hopped he could not feel her heart beating like a humming birds, that would have been awkward. Dave stepped back.

"Shall we?" The boy asked, gesturing back towards the beacon of flickering light.

"We shall." Erin and Dave walked back to the campfire.

By the time they had gotten through that ordeal, everyone else was packing everything up under tarps, so that they could sleep. Dave decided to sit by the fire a bit longer, Erin did as well. The two friends sat in companionable silence, Dave poked the fire with a stick.

Erin looked at Dave. She watched the flames dance in his glasses, the sparks of the fire he was poking swirling around his head. He looked like he had a kind of quiet power, which in a way he did. Everyone liked him without him even trying; Erin had to work hard to make people like her. Even then, Erin kind of doubted that any of her friends truly liked her, not like they like Dave.

"Is... something wrong?" Dave looked at her questioningly, she'd been staring again.

"Uh... no. Just a little cold, I guess." Erin said, awkwardly as ever.

Dave scooted over to Erin. "We can't have that, now can we." He put his arm around her.

_'ermagerd! I can't believe this is happening! I can't believe I thought 'ermagerd'... no. I didn't think that. You can prove nothing.' _Erin glanced over at Dave. Dave looked into Erin's face.

Suddenly, their lips met. Erin draped her arms around Dave's neck, Dave pulled Erin closer. It felt magical, it was perfect. Sparks jumped between them, almost tangible. They both pulled away and looked into each other's faces. Without a word, they got up and walked into their separate tents. Erin's brain was not working quite right, she felt fluttery and giddy, but it was acceptable. She enjoyed the feeling, hoping tomorrow would be as exceptional as today.

**(So this chapter's pretty short, but I'm posting it anyway. Thanks for reading what I have so far! :) As usual, rate and review is very helpfull. PLEASE GIVE ME SOME FEEDBACK! I need to know what I'm doing wrong so I can improve and what I'm doing right so I don't change it! Thanks, bye)**


	4. A Rude Awakening

Erin was awakened in the middle of the night; her tent was blowing about making an awful racket. She pulled on her shoes and a windbreaker and headed out into the night. Their campsite was in total carnage, rain and wind scattered everything left outside everywhere. The fire was nothing but a soggy, ashy mush. Everyone was scrambling desperately to pack up their belongings and shove them into backpacks before they were soaked beyond use. Everybody was yelling to one another but not a word could be heard over the roaring of the wind, thunder and lightning. Erin dashed about, trying to help wherever she could. Everybody was in full panic mode, adrenaline coursing through their bodies. They soon got everything they could packed up. A lightning bolt lit the sky dramatically; it struck a tree nearby with an immediate clap of thunder. With a sickening crack and a groan, the tree fell, its flaming branches blazing a trail through the thick torrent of rain, right towards the campsite. Erin, on instinct, measured the angle of the falling tree in a split second. She pulled John out of his tent just before the tree crushed it, the sparks explode on the ground where John was just a moment before. She and John stood there panting for a moment, staring in shock at the crushed mess of tent under the tree. John turned to Erin like he's going to say something but she'd already rushed off. He stood there for a moment before dashing off to catch up with the others, who were running through the forest towards Roses house.

Erin ran wildly through the woods, as fast as her coat and backpack would allow. Her trench coat constantly snagged on branches and roots and even Erin's feet as she careened down the pathway. Rain cascaded down her hair and face, fogging her 3D glasses. She whipped at them hastily and tripped over a tree root. She felt dizzy and disoriented and the others were pulling ahead of her. She tried to get up but her limbs were not working right, they felt like jelly if she put any weight on them. Erin, still pumped full of adrenaline continued to try fruitlessly to stand. She managed to prop herself up on an arm just in time to see John turn around. Dave, Rose and Jade were too far ahead to notice that Erin was missing. John started forward for her just as they both heard the sickening crunch, crack and groan of a falling tree. The burning tree swooped through the air and lands in between John and Erin. Erin covered her face against the smoke, dirt and ash the tree stirred up, Erin finally managed to get to her feet, John was still there. Erin stepped back, and then took a deep breath. She took a running leap at the tree, trying to get over; if she were to go around she would never find her way to Roses home as she was hopeless with directions. Her feet connected solidly with the ground on the other side of the tree. Erin continued running, she grabbed John's hand as she passed him and they ran along. Erin was coughing; her coat-tail was burning but was soon quenched by the persistent rain.

Rose slammed the door shut behind them all, blocking out the hideous rain. They all breathed heavily, dripping rain on the thick, expensive-looking carpet. Erin falls, completely exhausted onto the pink carpet. She wished that she was more athletic, maybe taken gym. It was a miracle that she could earn those credits through Band. Erin lay wheezing on the carpet, trying to gesture for someone to get her inhaler. Rose figures out what she needs first and got Erin's red inhaler out of her back. Erin took it gratefully. After she had gotten that situation take care of she crawls over to her bag.

"Mother is out of town right now, so we all are able to stay here for several days before she gets back and all hell breaks loose." Rose said looking around at the soggy group of friends before her. "But we should probably dry off first." Rose walked dignifiedly up the main stairway. She came back bearing armfuls of towels. Everyone took on of the big fluffy towels. "Now, please take of your shoes. I don't want to track mud everywhere."

Erin stood up, her feet squelched unpleasantly inside her shoes. She took off her modest black shoes to reveal candy red and blue socks, these were also wet but Erin disliked being barefoot. She also hung up her trench coat; it was in a pitiful state. The poor coat was charred and smoking along the bottom, about four inches of it had been burned off. The smoke curling off of the coat smelled foul and bitter. Erin looked despondently at the tattered fabric; it was given to her by a close friend of hers that had moved away. Her friend had not told her where she was going, or even that she was leaving, and she never answered her phone or Pesterchum. Erin sighed.

Dave walked over to Erin and draped an arm over her shoulders. "It could be worse, we can always get you a new one if you love it so much." Dave said, unknowing of her emotional attachment to the garment. This coat was really the last thing she had of her only friend, as a child. Well, only friend that she could actually hang out with in reality at least on weekends. She had lived in the city, in Denver Colorado.

**(Thanks to Kandyblood for leaving a review :) I know this chapter is short but a lot happened. Camping is relatively boring, fire is not ;) Anyway, Rate and Review is still great. The next chapter will be pretty short too, unless I change my mind, ****_SPOILER_********it will include a flashback that will be (most likely) unimportant to the rest of the story line. I will probably make two updates tomorrow to compensate. Anyway, thanks for reading!)**


	5. A Lovely Flashback

Erin_ was turning 11, and it was the middle of fifth grade. Erin was throwing a birthday party, only three people showed up; Erin's sister, Erin's friends' guardian and Erin's only friend, Ella. Cuz and Sis were off in the corner, talking while Erin and Ella sat alone at a long table. They were wearing inane conical, colourful hats. Erin looked at her brightly and meticulously wrapped present with excitement. She tore into the paper, too giddy to unwrap it. Ella winced as she watched her creation rip, but it was all worth it to see her friends' reaction. Erin's face lit up with glee, she literally leapt over the table to hug her best friend. Inside the box, now clutched in Erin's hands, was a brown trench coat with blue inner lining. It was identical to the one that the Tenth Doctor wore. _

_Later, Sis had insisted that Erin let her hem the thing because it was far too big on Erin, and Erin wore it everywhere. It dragged along the ground in Erin's wake, sweeping behind her, several feet too long. But Erin refused to let Sis do anything to the marvelous coat, it was too perfect. This was the last time Erin and Ella hung out before Ella disappeared.___

_**YEARS IN THE FUTURE, BUT NOT MANY **_

The coat fit Erin perfectly and it was practically Erin's trademark garment, as were her red and blue, cardboard glasses. But that coat was now a smoldering piece of garbage, it could no longer even be called a coat. The marvelous coat was no more.

**(My shortest chapter yet, but anyway Doctor Who (The Tenth Doctor etc.) are not mine and are the property of BBC. Some of you may have heard of the FanFic "****Landshark****" by Kandyblood. If you have, then you have heard of Ella and Cuz before. If you have read her FanFic then you know that she has stated that her story was based on an rp she was having... with me. I created Cuz but because he was Ella's (Kandy's OC) Guardian, I gave him to her. He is now hers. The Post-Scratch (Alpha) version of him is mine, as the Post-Scratch version of Sis belongs to Kandy. Anyway, now you know. To sum it all up, Doctor Who (And everything else Doctor Who related that I may add) does not belong to me but to the BBC, Cuz is not really mine, neither is Ella. Anyway, congrats if you read this far of the authors note. Rate and Review is still helpful, thanks for reading)**


	6. Things Heat Up

"Yeah... could be worse..." Erin said dismally. She turns back around to face all of her friends. Dave was by her side and the others were scattered lazily about the room. Erin suddenly shivered; she was wearing a black t-shirt and jeans, and, embarrassingly, a pair of suspenders. She crossed her arms, feeling very exposed without her coat. "Where can we sleep?" Erin also realized that it was still only 1 in the morning.

Rose turned around. "Ah yes, right this way." She led the posse up the main staircase.

Erin could not help but marvel at how huge and lush this house was. _Her mother must be stinking rich. _Erin thought to herself jealously. Erin's sister was not rich in the slightest; she never had a steady job or a steady source of income, which bothered Erin to no end. Erin's house was pretty much down to the bare necessities, Erin guessed she did not really mind that much but... walking up this huge grand fucking staircase... something about it just rubbed Erin the wrong way.

Rose lead each of them down a long hallway, giving each their own separate room, Erin got one at the end of the hallway. Erin opened the door, walked in then closed the door silently behind her. She stared agape at the room. Even in the dark it was beautiful, the room was white and a soft shade of lavender. The thin curtains blew wildly in the storm wind coming through a pair of French doors that were open just a crack that lead to a balcony. Erin walked across the white carpet to close the doors. She looked around the rest of the room; there was a huge bed in the middle. It had a white comforter with lavender sheets and a mix between purple and white pillows. Erin crawled into the bed tiredly, the comforter was soft and heavy. Erin laid back and as soon as her head hit the pillows she was out like a light.

Erin woke up at god knows what time the next morning. Erin rubbed her eyes tiredly, that's when she realized she was still wearing her cardboard glasses. They had become horribly crinkled when she slept with them on. Erin looked at them distastefully but put them back on anyway. Erin got up and stretched. She reached for where her coat would have been, if she were in her own home, and panicked for a minute to find it not there. Then Erin realized where she was and what was going on. Again, she lamented the loss of her trench coat.

You see, Erin is a creature of habit, to a fault. She likes order and structure to her life. Her coat and glasses were (and are) like emotional safety blankets to her, if things are not as they should be, even if Erin does not admit it to herself.

Erin was not sure whether or not social protocol dictates this, but she made the bed anyway. She liked organizing the pillows and making the bed symmetrical. She smiled at her work before turning and leaving the room. She went down stairs to check the time. Erin found herself in the main foyer, unsure where to go. Erin stood around awkwardly walking a little ways this way then turning around and walking some other direction. She decided that her second order of business, after finding a clock, will be to explore every inch of the mansion and learn where everything was. But before she could do that, she must find a clock. Erin takes her computer out. She wished for the eight hundredth time that there was some way to combine her computer and glasses. She looked at the clock on the computer and did a double take. It was already 8:19 am! Erin grants herself maybe twenty minutes leniency of trying to find her way around after waking up, but what of the other two hours! There was no explanation! Well ok... There was; Jet Lag. But Erin decided that Jet Lag was no excuse and she would wake up at 6 o'clock sharp the next morning. Then Erin realized she was probably very inconsiderate by trying to pester her friends while they were in different time zones than her... oops. She berated herself for being so thoughtless before opening PesterChum. Erin quickly decided that, since it was 8, Rose was probably awake somewhere.

GreatExpectations [GE] has begun pestering TentacleTherapist [TT]

GE: Hey Rose

GE: Rose

GE: Rose im lost

GE: Im lost in your house

GE: Where are you

GE: Its eight o'clock

GE: Why arent you awake?!

GreatExpectations [GE] has ceased pestering TentacleTherapist [TT]

Erin sighed in exasperation. How was she to get out of this predicament. Erin sighed again, desperate times called for desperate measures.

GreatExpectations [GE] has begun pestering FoxyUmbrella [FU]

GE: Sis

GE: Sis i

GE: uh

FU: Yeees?

GE: I can practically hear you smirking from here

GE: Stop it

FU: Why did you pester me

GE: Why havent you changed you pesterhandle

GE: I asked you to change it

FU: Sorry for the rude awakening, but I happen to be the adult here

FU: And I'm sure that's not why you pestered me

GE: ...

FU: weeell

FU: Go ooon

GE: I

GE: Need your help

FU: You what

GE: I

GE ...

GE: Need your help

FU: Sorry dear Sister, but I can't read that

FU: ;)

GE: I NEED YOUR HELP ALRIGHT?!

FU: Now that's better

FU: What do you need

GE: Im...

GE: Lost in Lalondes house

FU: Youre... fff... lost in... pppfff... lalondes... BWAHAHAHAHA

FU: THAT HAS GOT TO BE THE DUMBEST SHIT HEADED THING YOU'VE EVER DONE

GE: Shut up

GE: I know

FU: I mean

FU: BWAHAHAHA

GE: 8/

FU: Ok... Ok.

FU: pffff

FU: PFFFFF

FU: HAHAHAHAHAHAH

FU: I cant even keep a straight face.

GE: Sis!

GE: Come on!

GE: I am seriously lost in her mansion

FU: Fine

FU: Listen

FU: I know you have a photographic memory

FU: Just remember your way out

GE: I

GE: I cant

FU: Why the fuck not?!

GE: I overslept

FU: So

GE: My brain is kind of... fuzzy right now

GE: I guess

FU: Youre one weird fucking kid

FU: You know that, don't you?

GE: Yeah whatever

FU: Ok

FU: Lets say that I believe you for a moment

FU: Which I don't

FU: Why don't you ask one of your friends

GE: They're all sleeping

FU: Ok

FU: So what do you want me to do about it

GE:... I guess I didn't really think that through

FU: Wow

FU: You really are thick today

FU: Youre so thick your Ms. Thick Thick Thick from Thickania, and so's your dad.

GE: I don't have a dad

FU: Oh

FU: Oh yeah

FU: Just drop that sudden bomb of depression then

GE: But youre the one who said-

FU: ANYWAY

FU: You get my point

GE: Fine

GE: Fuck you to

GreatExpectations [GE] has ceased pestering FoxyUmbrella [FU]

FU: Erin wait

FU: Come on Erin

FU: Erin I'm sorry

FU: Just

GreatExpectations [GE] has blocked FoxyUmbrella [FU]

An hour later, after that emotionally draining and degrading conversation, Erin is no further along in her plight. She tries Rose again.

GreatExpectations [GE] has begun pestering TentacleTherapist [TT]

GE: Rose

GE: Please be awake

TT: What is it, Smith

GE: I am literally lost in your house

TT: Erin please

TT: Are you being serious right now

TT: It is rather difficult to discern emotion through text, especially because you refuse to use punctuation.

GE: No

GE: I am fucking kidding

GE: Yes that's it

GE: It is my full and well known fucking intent to degrade myself in front of you for laughs

GE: Ha

GE: Ha

GE: See that

GE: So

GE: Fucking

GE: Funny

TT: Erin, please

TT: Is this really necessary

TT: This is no way to treat someone who you wish to receive help from

GE: Sorry

GE: Im just

GE: Fuck

GE: Im just winding down from talking to my sister

TT: Ok

TT: I understand that

TT: But that makes it in no way acceptable to treat other people like rubbish

GE: Alright already

GE: Please just

GE: Come and get me

GE: Or send me a schematic of your house

GE: Yeah, the schematic would be better

TT: Erin, I am not sure if I want you to possess a map to my house...

TT: But here it is, I suppose.

**- TentacleTherapist [TT] sent GreatExpectations [GE] the file " HouseofLalonde " –**

GE: Thank you

GreatExpectations [GE] has ceased pestering TentacleTherapist [TT]

Erin studied the map until she was pretty sure she had it memorized. She found that she was not too far from the kitchen, which is where she went. Upon entering the kitchen, ten minutes later, she found Rose making food.

"Thanks for the map." Erin said as she walked into the kitchen. She smelled French toast. Rose turned to look at Erin.

"Oh, it was nothing." She turned back to her French toast making. She was wearing a purple and black striped, quarter sleeve shirt with light wash jeans. She was wearing purple and black shoes with a dark purple headband. Erin stood there awkwardly for a moment, unsure what to do. "Do you want to go see if the others are awake?" Rose asked without turning around, sensing Erin's discomfort.

"Uh yeah... I'll just go... Do... That." Erin walked out of the kitchen and referenced her mental map of the house to find the others' rooms. She came across Jades room first, but decided she would not be awake, as her time zone is five hours behind New York. Next, she checked on John. Washington is only three hours behind New York so she reasoned that he he may be awake. Erin knocked on the dark haired boy's door then opened it, John was sleeping peacefully. Erin debated waking him up then left to let him sleep. Lastly was Dave's room, he was only one hour behind, he was probably awake. Erin knocked on the door but there was no answer. Erin frowned. She knocked again to no avail. It was 8 o'clock in Texas and Dave still was not awake.

GreatExpectations [GE] has begun pestering TurntechGodhead [TG]

GE: Dave

GE: Wake up

TurntechGodhead[TG] has ceased pestering GreatExpectations [GE]

GreatExpectations [GE] has begun pestering TurntechGodhead [TG]

GE: Dave seriously

GE: quit being so immature!

TurntechGodhead[TG] has blocked GreatExpectations[GE]

"Really Dave?!" Erin complained loudly outside his door. "On the count of three I'm breaking down Roses door. One." No response. "twooo..." still nothing, "three!" The door remained shut. "Ok, that's it. I'm coming in." Erin stepped back to the end of the hallway. _maybe this wasn't such a good idea..._ Erin thought uncertainly. _Oh well, too late now_. Erin was already running towards the door. Right before she ran into it, it opened. Erin sailed right through the open doorway, unable to slow her momentum, and into Dave's room. _ Oh shi-_ Erin tripped over one of Dave's sneakers and fell hard onto the floor.

"Shit, sorry." Dave said with barely contained laughter. Through all of this, he had managed to retain his poker face, but Erin was sure he was laughing at her behind his shades. His hair was slighting ruffled with sleep as he went to help the girl up. He was wearing his trademark white shirt with red sleeves and a broken record on the front and black skinny jeans. Erin usually hated skinny jeans on guys, but it worked with Dave. Somehow, Dave pulled off the highly dangerous and nearly impossible "skinny jean and guy combo". He was wearing red socks but no shoes, but without even looking Erin knew this, as she just tripped over one of his shoes. Erin groaned as Dave grabbed her arm and pulled her to her feet.

"What the fuck, Dave?" Erin asked looking down and pretending to brush of her shirt to cover her wildly blushing face. She was not really angry, but she did not know how else to react. Ok, maybe she was a little angry.

"I didn't hear you outside." Dave said, just standing there with his arms at his sides looking at her.

"Oh, and you didn't hear the pesterlog ding, and I suppose you didn't block me on purpose?" Erin realized she was being an asshole, but she was tired and hungry and had just gotten lost in a house and she hadn't been awake more than two hours and already embarrassed herself in front of three people.

"Jesus, Erin. Chill out." Dave said calmly. Erin had nothing to say to this, so she mumbled something about breakfast and hurried out of the room with her head down. Dave looked after her quizzically but shrugged and went downstairs anyway. Dave, Rose and Erin talked until the John and Jade woke up, an hour later.

Rose smiled as John and Jade walked down the stairs. "Well good morning everyone, breakfast can now be served." She got up gracefully and walked over to the microwave where she was keeping everything warm until everyone was there. She pulled out the food and set it on the table. It looked delicious, French toast and eggs with a bowl of fruit in the middle of the table. Everyone tucked into the food with great gusto. In half and hour they were all finished. Erin stood up and collected all of the dishes that she could carry.

"I'll do the dishes." She stated firmly as Rose was about to object.

Dave stood as well. "I'll help you." At Erin's objection he simply stated that he "owed her" and winked, but nobody saw the wink as his shades were in the way.

"Great! Who wants to go watch Ghost Busters 2!" John said, practically jumping up and down in excitement. Rose and Jade reluctantly agreed and walked off with john to go find a suitable tv and dvd player. Dave picked up the rest of the dishes and walked over to help Erin at the sink.

"Thanks for helping me, coolkid." Erin said, not looking up from her work.

"No problem. You wash, I'll dry." Dave said simply as Erin handed him a plate.

"...So." Erin awkwardly washed the dishes trying to think of something to talk about. "You're really not going to college?" Erin could practically hear Dave wince behind his glasses. Erin mentally kicked herself.

"Yeah, no. Like I said, just gonna hang for a while. See if anything catches my eye." Dave said coolly.

"Oh uh... that's cool..." _Great. Way to make things awkward._ _Genius move. _"well uh..." Erin looks down and focuses on the dishes. "I'm sure whatever you do you'll be great at it. You always are."

"Wait, what?" Dave stops drying a bowl for a second and looks down at her.

_Damn it. God. Fucking. Damn it. _"I'm just saying that you are really cool and smart and you've never really failed at anything you've strived to do and you're sure to succeed in whatever you try to do and I'm sure that you'll be great and and that you will just be great at whatever it is that you're wanting to do with your life and I wont stand in your way, nothing will. Because you're practically unstoppable and everybody loves you." _Stop. Stop talking. I have to seriously stop talking now. Goddamn it, I'm still talking! Im rambling. Stop, why cant I stop! Do I even see how he's looking at me? Ok, ok I'm done. D'oh! Why did you have to say that last part. "everybody loves you"?! Ok, ok its fine. Maybe he didn't hear me. Maybe... he... ok. He heard me. Look at his face! Ok, its impassive as ever but still... _

"Erin..." Dave started. Erin avoided his face, but Dave quickly remedied that. The cool kid tilted Erin's chin up so that she was looking him in the eye, or as close as she could get while they were both wearing glasses, and he leaned down and kissed her.

At first, Erin didn't know how to react. At all. Her brain just went numb, and she couldn't think at all. She felt her hands lift in surprise, she felt Dave's hand still on her cheek, and most importantly, she felt Dave's lips on hers. She tentatively wrapped her arms around the taller boy, standing on tiptoes so he didn't have to bend down as much and so she could reach up to put her arms around his neck. Erin closed her eyes, simply engulfed in the magic of the moment; sparks seemed to leap between her and Dave and her skin tingled wherever his hands touched her. Dave broke the kiss for a moment as lifted her up so that they were at eye level, Erin's legs wrapped around his waist. They pressed their foreheads together and had a silent word between one another, their eyes connected under their glasses, if only for a second. They resumed their kiss and Dave fell back against the kitchen counter.

"Ahem. Am I interrupting something?" asked a sour voice from the doorway. Simultaneously, Erin and Dave both looked to see who had interrupted them and practically leapt apart when they saw who it was. Jade was leaning against the doorframe with her arms crossed. She looked very angry.

"Oh, hi Jade." Dave recovered much faster than Erin. Erin was looking at the ground, her cheeks burning with embarrassment.

"Jade, did you find any more popcorn?" John called innocently from another room.

"Not yet, I ran into some trouble. I'll be there in a minute." Jade called without looking. She was still staring at Dave and Erin.

"I'm just going to be going... um... now." Erin hurried with her head down, out of the kitchen. She desperately wished she had her coat so she could hide in it. She pushed past Jade and ran away.

Dave watches her go then turns, somewhat angrily, to Jade. "What the hell was that?!"

"You were the one CANOODALING in Roses kitchen!" Jade retorts heatedly.

"Why do you care! You're the one who broke up with me, remember?!" Dave retaliated sharply.

"Well sooorryyy, I didn't excpect Rose's house to become the HOUSE OF CANOODLING!" Jade argued.

Erin heard them arguing as she ran off. She ras to her room and slammmed the door than belly flopped onto the bed. She checked her computer. It's only noon. They were trapped inside Roses ticking time bomb of a house, she may or may not be dating one Dave Strider, and she definitely just made one new enemy. What a productive day she was having, and it was only going to get better.

**(Definately my longest chapter by far. So, rate and review would still be very helpful. Serioiusly guys, any feedback at all is great. Even if it's to tell me my story sucks, my writing sucks, I suck and I should give up on writing forever! Anyway, thanks for reading this far! ~Whostuck123~)**


	7. Darkness

I open my eyes to a completely dark room, lit every so often by a flash of lightning. I groan and sit up. Goddamn, what time is it? I look at my watch

4:13 pm, the blue light of my wrist watch flashes at me.

I groan, I hate sleeping in the middle of the afternoon, it just ruins the entire rest of the day. Slowly I remember what happened, I smile as I remember Dave and I kissing. Damn I love that boy. My expression sours when I remember Jade walking in on us. Good things never last. I frown and stand up, I thought I left the lights on...? I go over to the light switch and flip it rapidly; nothing. Hmmm, power must be out. I find a flashlight in the bedside table. I flip it on and nothing happens. O come on... I hit it against the heel of my hand and it flickers on. Yessssssss! I open the door and walk down the hallway; the house is eerily silent except for the boom of thunder rattling the mansion. I make it to a winding staircase and cautiously take a step on to the hard wood stairs. The flashlight goes out and I immediately slip, fall and tumble all the way down the stairs.

"Ack- oof- ow- fuck- hnng-" I exclaim along my entire journey down the stairs. I finally reach the floor; covered in various bruises and a cut on my lip. I slowly sit up and check for broken bones, wincing as I feel a large lump on my head beginning to form.

"I warned you about stairs bro, I told you dogg." Says a familiar voice. I look up and see none other than Dave Strider standing over me, or I assume that its Dave. I can really only see a vague, almost silhouette. I feel my stomach flip with nervousness upon seeing him again, after the unhappy mishap that killed our romantic moment.

"You said no such thin- AGH!" I flinch away as he suddenly turns his flashlight on, shining it in my face. I see a blinding flash cut through the sudden darkness before I cover my eyes, the bastard. I slowly look up from behind my arm and see stars dance and pop across my vision. I can see that he moved the flashlight while I was hiding and he was now snickering quietly. Jerk. That lovely jerk. I stand up and stagger slightly, and wince when I put weight on my bruised and battered legs. I fall against the railing and grope around for my treterous flashlight. Just then, I hear something metal clanking down the stairs. My evil flashlight rolls around the corner, falling down the steps, shining brightly and happily. I death glare at the horrible device, "traitor" I mouth silently at it.

Dave continues to snicker gleefully. Suddenly I feel his hot breath on my cheek, Guh! I hate it when he flashsteps like that! I turn to him in surprise and his lips find mine. I roll away from the wall so I'm leaning against his chest and kiss him back. He falls and pulls me as close as he can. I lick at his lower lip, asking for entrance. Of course, the cool kid denies teasingly. I reach up to his face and tangle my fingers in his hair, right before ripping off his sick shades and tossing them somewhere. The shock of the moment causing him to open his mouth slightly and, before he could regain his composure, I slip my tongue in. I feel his chest vibrate with silent laughter as we "battle" for dominance. Dave easily wins and I know he was just humouring me. This brought me to an uneasy question; just how much practice has Dave had? I decide quickly not to think about this right now, and to just enjoy the moment. We kiss like this for I don't know HOW long, I feel like I'm just floating in bliss; all there is is just Dave and me and this moment. Finally, we break apart.

I fall back on to the flats of my feet. Dave smiles and retrieves his shades from the floor. My stomach feels like jelly and I'm slightly dizzy, whether from oxygen-depravation or excitement I can't tell.

"Dave... I..." I start, unsure how to proceed. Dave lifts an eyebrow quizzically and gestures for me to go on. "Dave, I've had a crush on you for a really long time and I was just-" Dave puts a finger to my lips, stopping the rest of my sentence. I'm not sure whether to be angry or relieved.

"I think we're beyond that." Dave says, looking into my face. Slowly we're kissing again, and I'm loving every second of it. Suddenly, the lights come back on and we break apart hesitantly.

"Oh uh... looks like the lights are back." I say, silently hitting myself for being so blatantly obvious.

"Would you like to turn them off again?" Dave says sexily and we lean back in when the loud music of a pipe organ fills the air. Dave looks around, deadpan. I turn my head wildly about, looking like a total idiot trying to discern where the noise is coming from.

"DOOR!" Jade and John call simultaneously from somewhere nearby.

"Now, who the fuck could that be?" Dave says as he heads towards the door, I follow him curiously.

"My thoughts exactly." I say as Dave and I head off to find who the mystery caller is, and why they came in such a storm.

**(This is pretty much a filler to try to advance the story a long, but hey! I guess it wasnt that bad. Anyway, thanks for reviewing bluelanterns and ThatOneGirl. The feedback is really helpful! So yeah, not my best chapter and not particularly memorable but whatever. I may change it later, but probably not. Thanks for reading!)**


	8. An Unwanted Visitor

Dave and I walk over to the door just in time to see girl, our age, fall through. She is sopping wet and covered in mud, and unconscious. This stranger fell into Rose's arms as Rose looks down at her, shocked.

"Now what?" I step in.

"I think we should just... um... for lack of better words, keep her?" Rose says unsurley. The friends end up just taking her upstairs into one of the infinate guest rooms and put her there, someone will always be on watch in case she wakes up and wonders where she is. I volunteer for first watch.

A few hours later, John comes to releive me of my post, but I turn him away. I just keep sitting and staring at the girl, I think I know who this girl is, and I want to be here when she wakes up. Another few hours later, one of her eyes opens a crack. She saw me and quickly tries to pretend she is still sleeping.

"I know you're awake." I say, colder than I had intended. She opens her eyes fully; they are a shining hazel and all doubts I had about who this girl is immediately disappear. I must look angry because she half flinches away. "Why." I ask quietly. She doesn't answer so I speak louder. "WHY?!" She flinches away from my voice but answers firmly.

"Why what, Erin." She pulls her glasses on.

"Why did you come back, after all this time. Where did you go. How did you get here." I say quietly again. Ella throws her legs out of the bed and finds herself in clean pajamas. She makes a move to walk over to me but this time it's my turn to flinch back. "Why did you abandon me." I ask quietly.

"Erin, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to leave you., Cuz got a job out in New York as a photographer so we moved out here. I saw you in the airport and tried to get your attention, but you didn't see me. I overheard you guys talking and I knew where Rose's house was so I thought I'd come say hello. I didn't know there would be this bad a storm though..." Ella says, looking at me with a faintly reminiscient glint to her eye.

"Why didn't you tell me where you were going, or answer my calls or anything? You just... disappeared." All of the feelings of betrayal that I thought I burried are bubbling up to the surface, but I refuse to let them show. Nope. I don't trust this girl, this stranger.

"Because, when we moved out here we didn't have a landline phone so we didn't have the same number. We were really busy." Ella says looking slightly apologetic. "I really am sorry, Erin."

"Fine. You're sorry. Why are you here." I say callously.

"I just... wanted to see you again. And from all of the feelings you're dishing up here, I'd say that you missed me too." Ella says with a sad, lopsided smile, fading as she see's my hardened expression. "Erin don't be like that."

"Like what."

"Like... not yourself." Ella finished decidedly.

"Its been 8 years. People can change in 8 years." I retort as I stand up. "I'm going to go tell the other's you're up and who you are." I walk out of the room and down the hallway, thinking how much I miss this girl, and how much I crave her friendship; but I can't stop denying her.

_Ella's POV_

Slowly, I awaken to a dimly lit room. There is someone sitting in the corner near the bed that I'm in, I close my eyes in the hopes that they'll think I'm still asleep; no such luck. I open my eyes fully when I hear her voice. It's colder than I remember but so familiar, I flinch unintentionally at the familiarity and standoffishness of the voice.

"Why." The girl from my past asks quietly. I don't answer right away so she speaks louder. "WHY?!" I flinch at the anger and hurt in her voice but answer firmly.

"Why what, Erin." I pull me glasses on, I might as well be able to see.

"Why did you come back, after all this time. Where did you go. How did you get here." She says quietly again. I throw my legs out of the bed and finds myelf in clean pajamas. I look down in slight surprise at the change of clothes but am otherwise uninterested. I makes a move to walk over to Erin but this time, she cringes. "Why did you abandon me." she asks quietly.

"Erin, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to leave you., Cuz got a job out in New York as a photographer so we moved out here. I saw you in the airport and tried to get your attention, but you didn't see me. I overheard you guys talking and I knew where Rose's house was so I thought I'd come say hello. I didn't know there would be this bad a storm though..." I say, looking at her with a faintly reminiscient of times past.

"Why didn't you tell me where you were going, or answer my calls or anything? You just... disappeared." Her voice wavers slightly, however much she tries to hide her emotions, although her face remains stone cold.

"Because, when we moved out here we didn't have a landline phone so we didn't have the same number. We were really busy." I say apologetically, I never realized how much my friendship meant to this girl. I always thought that it was more one sided, but apparently not."I really am sorry, Erin."

"Fine. You're sorry. Why are you here." she says callously.

"I just... wanted to see you again. And from all of the feelings you're dishing up here, I'd say that you missed me too." I say with a lopsided smile, fading as I see's my old friends hardened expression. "Erin don't be like that."

"Like what." She half asked half stated. She's hiding her emotions better now, getting herself under control, I remark quietly to myself.

"Like... not yourself." I finish decidedly.

"Its been 8 years. People can change in 8 years." She retort as she stands up. Uh oh. "I'm going to go tell the other's you're up and who you are." she walks out of the room and down the hallway, leaving me looking after her. I sigh and wait for someone to return, feeling like a criminal on trial.

**(So, sorry I haven't been able to update a lot. School and such. Thanks to everyone who's been reading thus far! Thanks to Kandyblood (Author of Landshark) for letting me use Ella. To learn more about this character you can read Landshark. Anyway, thanks for reading. Reviews are always appreciated)**


	9. The Storm Rages On

Erin runs down the stairs to find the others, she finds Dave and Rose drinking coffee with Rose trying to get Dave to talk politics with her and John and Jade drinking hot chocolate talking about movies.

"Guys," everyone turns to look at her. "She's awake."

"oh, that is good news. Did you get her name?" Rose asks.

"Her name is Ella." Erin says emotionlessly.

"Hold up, **the** Ella? The Ella that you used to talk about? Back when we first met?" Dave inquires.

"Yes. That Ella." Erin says, looking not the least bit happy.

"Well, isn't that good?" John asks innocently.

"Yes, its great." Erin says with mocking sincerety.

"It doesn't look like it sounds grea-" a look from Erin cut John off.

"She's leaving, right." Erin states as more of a comfirmation than a question.

"We cannot possibly send her away in this weather." Rose says worriedly while Jade smirks at Erins discomfort in the background.

Erin's shoulders tense. "Why not."

"We can't send her out in the storm, Erin." Jade mocks, the others turn towards her and she says more sincerely. "I mean, she's your friend and all."

"She's my _former_ friend." Erin says through gritted teeth. Nobody bothers to question her.

"Well I'm sorry Erin, but we absolutely cannot send her away right now, she'll catch her death out there. She'll have to stay until the storm is over." Rose says politely.

"Fine." Erin says grudgingly. Erin goes back upstairs and finds Ella wandering around the hallways.

"oh, hi Erin." She starts hopefully.

"What are you doing." Erin asks stonily.

"Well, I was being ninja and heard you guys talking, so I got curious and I overheard your conversation long enough to know that I could stay then went wandering around." Ella says with a smile. Erin's face doesn't change. Ella's smile withers slightly. "I was thinking we could talk, and stuff...?"

"Fine." Erin just stands there, purposefully being obtuse and making things harder for Ella.

Ella refuses to be discouraged, she sits down in the hallway and gestures for Erin to do the same. "So, do you still want to be in the circus?"

"No. I am following more prestigious persuits now." Erin says.

"Like what? You used to love that shit! You were going to be in the circus and also one of those techy people." Ella says laughing. Erin doesn't laugh.

"I was 10. I am now pursuing a career in Biochemistry." Erin says dryly.

"Didn't Sis want you to be a scientist? Whatever, that sounds cool, for you." Ella knows that Erin is not really in the conversation, she's just going through the motions. "So, you still where those glasses?" Ella gestures to Erin's cardboard glasses, desperately trying to make conversation.

"Yes." Erin says simply. Ella is tiring with Erin's aloofness quickly.

"So..." Ella starts awkwardly.

"So." Erin states quietly.

Ella snaps. "Stop that! I can't stand you like this!"

Erin stands up. "Like what? I don't want to be hurt again. I used to cherish all of my memories that I had of you, hoping that you'd come back. Remember the last time I saw you, at my tenth birthday party, and you gave me that trench coat? Of course you dont. Well, after all these years, I've worn it. Everyday for the past 8 years. I thought that, for some reason, you cared one iota about me. After you left, my poor little ten year old self was crushed. The bullying got worse, everything got worse. I've been home schooled since then because I couldn't take it. I thought that if you would just come back, just for a day, an hour, than I could make it. But you didn't. You didn't look back for five seconds. You turned out fine, went galavanting off to New York City with your awesome cousin and never looked back. I thought that if I could just talk to you on the phone, over Pesterchum... but no. Seeing you now, I know that I don't want you here. I don't want anything to do with you. The sooner this storm lets up and I can either get out of this hell hole or dump your ass out, the better. I would have your ass out in that storm faster than you can say your own name, if Rose would fucking let me." Erin says bitterly, the worst part is that she doesn't raise her voice at all.

Ella is shocked. She sits there for a second, her mouth hanging open slightly. Slowly, her face turns angrier. "It's not my fault that I had to leave! I didn't go "gallavanting off" with anyone! I'm sorry that you turned out completely fucked up, but don't blame me!" Now Ella is standing, too.

Erin does not know what to say, she really doesn't want to fight with Ella. She misses her friend, but she's not ready to forgive her. She immediately regrets what she said, but can't take it back. "... I know."

"And another thing- wait. What?" Ella seems confused as she is yanked suddenly out of Rant Mode.

"I know its not your fault that I'm a social reject conformist." Erin asys defeatedly.

Ella is shocked by this turn of events, the last thing she expected to happen was Erin actually talking, like a normal human being. Ella knew that Erin didn't trust her, so why was she telling Ella all of this? Ella wants to go over and comfort Erin, she looks so small and sad, but she's still hurt about what Erin said. Erin hugs her arms around herself; her rainbow suspenders contrasting brightly against her black shirt and dark jeans. Erin looks down at the ground. Ella can't help it, her urge to be Erins friend too strong and it outweighed her better judgement. She goes over to Erin and puts a hand on her shoulder. Erin flinches away, suddenly cold again.

"No." Erin brushes her hand off and walks down the hallway again. Ella sighs loudly and goes down stairs, willing the storm to let up soon.

**(So, short chapter again. Yes, I know Erin's being a bitch and mood swingy. Anyway, thanks for reading. Reviews are always welcome.)**


	10. Moving On

I changed into my own clothes and walked downstairs, not really knowing what else to do. I peeked into the room where Erin's friends were and awkwardly knocked on the doorframe.

"Um…hi?" I hated the way my voice shook. I quickly swallowed, trying to force down the lump in my throat from Erin's anger at me.

The kid with the messy black hair and really blue eyes motioned me further inside. I stepped in hesitantly, all the while chastising myself for being so shy.

"Hi there. I'm John," the blue-eyed boy said. I nodded and shook his outstretched hand.

"Well…I'm Ella, but I guess you probably knew that already…" I said awkwardly. The girl with the green eyes smiled at me, surprisingly friendly for someone who literally just met me.

"I'm Jade, pleasure to meet you!"

I couldn't help but smile as I shook her hand. The intelligent-looking girl with the black headband introduced herself as Rose, and the blonde cool kid with the sick shades as Dave. John gestured at the couch next to him and I sort of sat myself down awkwardly, trying not to get too close to anyone else.

"So Ella, we've heard a lot about you!" John said cheerfully. I suppressed another smile at his eagerness; he reminded me of an internet friend of mine.

"Have you?" I asked, mildly interested in what Erin had to say about me.

"Yeah! Do you still draw and stuff?"

"Um…well, yes, actually. My major is Visual Arts at CU Boulder. What about you guys?" I was starting to relax around these people. They were actually pretty nice.

Dave looked on, feigning interest and said nothing, but the other three happily explained about their colleges of choice. Eventually we dissolved into small talk, and soon we were laughing and talking like old friends. I felt guilty that I was having a good time with Erin's friends, but I really couldn't leave until the storm let up.

As if on cue, Erin walked stiffly into the room. She sat down next to Dave, clasping her hands in her lap and staring down at the ground. I noted how comfortable she seemed with sitting so close to Dave and came to the conclusion that they must be together. Interesting. I opened my mouth to apologize again to Erin but she interrupted before I could speak.

"Rose. How long."

Rose shook her head sadly at Erin's stiff manner and the fact that she asked this question every day for the past week, but answered anyway. "My guess would be around two hours, maybe three at most."

"Fabulous." Erin said stonily, still staring at the ground. It hurt me to see her like this, but I really didn't know how to help her.

"Erin…" I said, trying to put all of my emotions into my voice.

"Shut up. I don't want to hear it."

"But-"

"No."

To my surprise, John spoke up. "Erin, you're not being fair! At least let her explain herself!"

I cast him a grateful look and continued, taking Erin's silence as an invitation to go ahead.

"Look, I'm sorry I hurt you. I am. But please can we try to make up? …I miss you."

Erin kept her eyes on the ground and her arms folded, but I could see her defenses starting to slip. Suddenly she looked up at me, her voice as cold as ice, her face blank.

"No. No we can't. You're out of here as soon as the weather lets up even a bit. The faster you can get the fuck out of here the better." She stood up abruptly and left again, leaving me sad and hurting. I pulled my knees up to my chin and stared at the floor dejectedly. I felt a hand on my shoulder and glanced up, my eyes meeting John's.

"Don't feel bad. She'll come to her senses."

I smiled at him sadly. "No. She won't. I fucked up, John." Before I could stop myself, I began to cry. He and Jade both came over and hugged me sympathetically, but I pushed them away gently.

"N-no, stop. Erin's r-right, I need t-to leave as soon as p-possible."

They looked concerned, and I sighed resignedly. I wiped the tears from my eyes and took out a small notepad and pencil from my pocket. I quickly scribbled down my Pesterchum handle, tore the page off, and handed it to John.

"If it really worries you so much, here's my handle."

He glanced at the paper and his eyes got as wide as saucers. "Wait. _You're_ sarcasticBookworm?"

"Yeah. _Sniffle _ Why?"

"I'm ectoBiologist!"

"r-really?" I wiped the tears from my face and looked at him in a state of shock. Slowly, a smile spread across my features, no wonder he had reminded me of my internet friend! He _was _my internet friend!

John laughed as well. "Oh man, what a weird coincidence! I knew you sounded familiar!"

We giggled like idiots for a while, still reeling from the sheer oddness of our situation. The other three just looked on amusedly as we recalled parts of different conversations we had, inside jokes that we had together. We were interrupted when Erin stalked back through the door.

"The storm died down, get out."

My smile disappeared as I stood, ready to try talking to Erin again, but she flinched away from me. I sighed and headed towards the door, slipping my shoes back on.

"Erin! You cannot kick people out of my home, you are a guest here as well as Ella!" Rose scolded.

"No..." John made a noise and I turned around glumly, looking at him through my tear-stained glasses,

"Hey, just- …pester me, alright?" He said. I eyed him curiously, noticing his sudden change of tone, and nodded slowly.

"'Course. See you guys later, then…"

Erin crossed her arms and glared at me, her expression obviously saying, 'Not if I can help it.' I swallowed and exited Rose's house, breathing in the dampness of the storm. I hear yelling behind me, they must have started arguing as soon as I left. My phone buzzed in my pocket and I took it out, smiling at the name I saw on the screen.

-ectoBiologist [EB] has begun pestering sarcasticBookworm [SB]—

EB: hey ella.

EB: its mayhem in here

EB: but

EB: can i ask you something?

SB: Sure, whats up?

EB: will you…like…

SB: Like…?

EB: uh. go out with me?

SB: ….What?

EB: oh this was a bad idea…will you, y'know, date me? i know it'd be long-distance, but…

SB: Oh, wow. Yeah, I think…Id like that.

EB: really? :B

SB: Yeah. Ive actually been wanting to ask you for a while.

EB: really?

SB: Yeah.

EB: cool! thanks!

SB: Dont thank me, silly. Just…do me a favor?

EB: yeah?

SB: Dont let Erin find out.

EB: haha, okay! i wasn't really planning on it cause i think that'd piss her off.

SB: Yeah. No kidding. Sooo… Ill talk to you later then?

EB: you bet!

-ectoBiologist [EB] has ceased pestering sarcasticBookworm [SB]—

I smiled and shook my head at my friend- no, boyfriend, I reminded myself. I grinned a bit at this thought and headed down the trail, feeling lighter than I had all day. Maybe that detour hadn't been so bad after all.

**(Chapter written in part by Kandyblood, author of the infamous Landshark. I was having writters block, and needed to elaborate on Ella a bit so why not do a collab with the creator of Ella herself?! Or at least, that was my reasoning. The next chapter will involve big plot development stuff so, be on the lookout! Not sure when I can update, my computer access is a bit spotty at the moment. Thanks for reading!)**


	11. Moving Out

It took a while for everyone to recover from the shock of Ella's visit. Two weeks later, though, it was all back to normal and the five friends were relatively happy (though John was on his phone an awful lot…). They had planned on returning to their respective homes after only a week or so together, but days had turned into weeks and there they were, still together at Rose's house.

Erin felt stifled. Rose's house sucked. She had no access to her lab equipment and the only thing that was tolerable and made it worth staying was Dave.

Yes, her relationship with Dave had turned into a steady one, but with Jade in the house with them the tensions were running high. They hardly ever got a moment alone, and it was wearing away at Erin's nerves. Jade somehow managed to be _everywhere_ that they were. Every. Single. Time. It was frustrating and awful and Erin just needed to get out.

So one day she marched up to Dave, grabbed his arm, and pulled him over to her room. Once they were alone he gave her a cool, questioning look.

"I have to get out of here, Dave."

"Why?"

Erin ran a hand through her hair, an agonized expression on her face. "It's so…so…"

"Boring?"

"Yes! Exactly!"

He looked slightly amused. "Yeah, this get together is getting old fast. What are you going to do?"

Suddenly Erin felt a bit apprehensive. She had had this conversation in her head a thousand times, she thought through every logical scenario her brain could cook up. She knew that this could be a major turning point in their relationship, for better or for worse. She licked her dry lips nervously. "Weeeeeeeell, I was thinking about finding an apartment…"

A smirk formed on Dave's lips as he played dumb. "Go on…"

She punched him lightly on the arm. "Come on, Strider, you know exactly what I mean."

He laughed softly. "Okay, yeah, I do. I'm totally cool with that. Where?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, where would we find said apartment?"

"Oh. Uh…." Erin paused. She hadn't really thought of that. Yet she had time to count every step of stairs and window in the house. "Uhhhhh….how about California?"

"Why Cali?"

"Not only was it the first place that popped into my head, but I know the city like the back of my hand," Though I doubt that will happen. "Besides, I already got accepted to The California Institute of Technology."

He raised an eyebrow but didn't question her. "Cool. And where would we get the money for this apartment?"

"I'll get a job. And I'm sure you could do your dj-ing thing for clubs and stuff. "

"Well well, look who's all prepared. Is there anything you _don't _have covered?"

Erin blushed slightly. "Well…no. Not really."

"When're we leaving?"

"Tomorrow evening. We have a flight to Houston so you can get all your shit and then a flight from there to Denver. We'll rent a big truck thing to get my stuff then we'll sleep over there. Then, off to California. I got the apartment taken care of, all bought and stuff. I hope you like the location and stuff."

"Wow. Okay then. How're we going to tell the others?"

She gulped nervously. "I dunno, I thought maybe you could do that? They like you more anyway, plus I'm pretty much a social reject in general…"

Dave shrugged. "I don't know about that, but I'll tell 'em if you want me to."

"Yeah. I would. Thanks."

"No prob."

Dave opened the door to go out, and was immediately met by Jade. She gave him and Erin a suspicious glance, but the cool kid just regarded her with a straight deadpan. "Yeah?"

"Dinner's ready."

"Kay. We'll be down in a minute."

"Hmph." Jade stalked down the stairs, giving Erin an accusing glare as she went.

Erin looked after her gloomily. "See? I'm bad with social interactions. "

Dave gave her a chaste, almost shy, kiss on the forehead. "You're fine. Jade is just bitter, it has nothing to do with you."

She felt her heart quicken at the kiss, but she still felt a little depressed at her situation with Jade. She didn't like the green-eyed girl, but she also craved her friendship and approval. Erin had no need or want for more enemies. "If you say so…"

"I do. Let's go eat something."

"Okay."

Dave led her downstairs to where the others sat talking. The pair took their seats and accepted their food in silence, both of them worrying to themselves about what they were about to say to their friends.

John and Jade were chattering about something or other, but they fell silent too when Rose caught their eyes and gestured at Dave and Erin. They both looked up in unison at the loss of noise.

"Guys? What's wrong?" John asked concernedly.

Dave stopped picking at his food and put down his fork.

"We have something to tell you."

"Oh?" Rose asked curiously.

"Erin and I have decided to get an apartment together." Dave said frankly.

There was a moment of silence as the information sank in. Erin fidgeted nervously, refusing to meet anyone's eyes.

Finally, Jade managed to speak. "Oh really," she said, her voice and demeanor sharp as needles. Dave nodded, unflinching at her attitude.

John grinned, oblivious to Jade's bitterness. "That's great! Best of luck, guys!"

"Thanks, man," Dave said to his best friend. Rose smiled at the pair of them, though her eyes saddened slightly when she looked at Jade.

"Where are you going to get this apartment?"

Erin answered, her head still down and her gaze fixed on the plate in front of her. "California."

"Ah."

They all ate in silence after that, even John sensing that it was time to shut up. Finally, Erin pushed her chair back and silently rose to clear her plate. Dave glanced up at her and stood as well.

The pair disappeared into the kitchen and put their dishes in the sink in companionable silence. Dave grabbed her hand and looked over at her.

"It'll be fine."

"I know."

He smirked a bit.

"Good."

**(Sorry I haven't updated in a while, I've been really busy lately. Ok. So this chapter was written ((Again)) mostly by Kandyblood. I've been having an awful case of writers block and was very close to giving up on the story. Now, I'm more excited to continue this story so I will update more frequently. Keep reading and reviewing :) Don't forget to check out my profile!)**


	12. Chapter 12

Warning, this account has been hacked. Thank you for reading lifestuck, I will be continuing the story under a new name shortly. It will be called Lifestuck 2.0 so you can continue reading there. I'll leave this story here but I will be continuing (starting from chapter 12) on Lifestuck 2.0, hope to see ya'll there!


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